Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A graduate school resume is a document that accompanies your entrance application to a
college/university. It provides the admissions committee with more information than what’s included in
the application and focuses on what they need to know to better evaluate your candidacy. This resume
is different than the job search resume. Job search resumes are designed to get you an interview;
graduate school resumes are designed to enhance your application to a school and provide yet another
opportunity to sell yourself.
It is similar to your job search resume in the following ways:
Crisp language – use action verbs to describe your experiences
Clean layout – use lots of “white space” so that it is easy to read
No mistakes – no typos, no grammatical errors
It is different from your job search resume in the following ways:
Is not limited to one‐page in length (two pages is fine, though contact info must be on both)
Separates your work and non‐work experiences into different sections
Include all your experiences – not just the ones targeting a specific job
Indicates amount of time (per week, month) you’ve committed to different experiences
References your education but does not provide complete information – that will come from
your transcript
Your graduate school resume may include different categories than your friend’s. That’s because your
experiences will be different. The sections you choose to include and the order in which you choose to
list them should be strategic on your part. What do you want the admissions committee to pay the
most attention to?
Some of the most commonly included categories are: (more details in the LAYOUT section following)
Objective
Education
Academic Experience/Highlights
Employment
Volunteer, Community, and/or Extra‐Curricular Involvement
Certifications/Professional Development
LAYOUT
The layout and order of your resume should be determined by what you want to emphasize to the
admissions committee. The most important and relevant experiences should be at the top, while the
least are at the bottom. Imagine if the committee was crunched for time and can only discuss the top
two‐thirds of your resume. Organize accordingly. If you are not sure how to arrange the layout, use
Examples #1 and 2 (included). Below is a basic order for a graduate school resume.
Objective – A short sentence identifying the school and the program to which you are applying.
Example: Applying for admission into Slippery Rock University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
Education – This should be the most important entry in your resume. After providing the basics (name
of undergraduate college / university, degree, graduation date, major, minor, GPA, etc), select the
outstanding academic accomplishments to highlight for the admissions committee. These may be sub‐
topics under Education or they may be their own categories. Areas that may be included are:
Research Honoraries
Scholarships Conferences
Independent Study Presentations
International Study Publications
Academic Experience, Course Highlights, and/or Internships – Highlight particularly relevant academic
courses by providing more details about these courses. Describe two to three upper‐level courses that
provided hands‐on experiences or in‐depth study with bullet statements. Include only the most salient
courses relevant to your intended graduate school major. Do not list all courses. Also, most graduate
schools prefer applicants with a combination of academic and experiential preparation. Some graduate
schools require volunteer or internship experience. Provide details about your related experiences.
Employment— List the most relevant and recent job positions. Be sure to include 2‐3 bulleted points
that highlight the skills and experiences that will best support your application for graduate school and
your major area of study.
Volunteer, Community, and/or Extra‐Curricular Involvement – If you participated in campus or
community activities that developed your leadership, time management, or other skills important to
your success in graduate school, include these activities and provide details that show your active
participation.
Certifications and/or Professional Development – Experiences not related to your graduate school
admission do not need to be included unless they show relevant skill development.
Additional Categories—Add these if you have extra room or if you have done something especially
noteworthy. Additional categories you might choose to include are:
Memberships
Leadership Experience
Foreign Languages (remember to indicate levels of proficiency)
Don’t be afraid to generate your own